(forget I said that)

[The story behind your LJ user name] When I moved into a flat with Nik, Johns Maither and Middleton and Justin, the network naming convention was "Mayan Gods". I was assigned Zotz, and I've kept using it as a machine and domain name. It's a) short, b) memorable and c) has two Zs in it.

Zotz (or Camazotz) was the mayan bat god. This is the inappropriate bit - if I used it too much, epople would start to think I was a bloody goth.

[Are you a lesbian?]For some regrettably common uses of "are", yes.

[How old?]Fine, thank you. And don't call me that, it's not my name.

[Where do you live?]Cambridge, for my sins. I often get to wondering what the sins might have been. I don't remember them, but I hope I enjoyed them a great deal. Occasionally I conclude that these eternal mechanisms are time-agnostic, so they might well be future sins that I'm paying for in advance. This is more than slightly comforting.

[4 words that sum you up]Crap crap crap crap.

DESCRIBE YOUR-[Wallet]About as full as you'd expect an academic scientist's to be.

[Hairbrush]Plastic. Prongy.

[Toothbrush]Plastic. Bristly.

[Jewelry worn daily]None.

[Pillow cover]Cloth. Rectangular. Coloured.

[Blanket]Woolen. Actually, i own two. I don't use them very often.

[Coffee cup]I don't drink coffee. It is the very anal seepage of the devil.

[Sunglasses]Usually mirror aviators of some cheap sort. If i'm going to look daft, I might as well look *really* daft and have something decently functional.

[Hair]Dark brown going grey. Currently down to the bottom of my shoulder-blades, roughly. A few more inches and I'll probably go out with a Leningrad Cowboys quiff a couple of times, then buzz it all off.

[Makeup]Definitely not. people might think I was a bloody goth.

WHO or WHAT (was/is/are) -[In my mouth]Bacteria. Particularly, various streptococci.

[In my head]My encephalon, of course.

[Wishing]If I had, a photograph of you . . .

[After this]Something fishy. Possibly zC246H21.

[Talking to]Karen, my boss, about a significant chunk of Chromosome 9 I'm just submitting as finished.

[Eating]Humus roll.

[Fetishes]Nope. Fetishes are things other people have. It's one of those irregular nouns - I have interests, you have kinks, he has a fetish. Or, I am an eclectic individualist, you are an alternative romantic, she's a bloody goth.

[If you could get away with it and murder anyone, who and for what reason?]There are, unfortunately, plenty of people the world would be better without, but I'd have to consult widely and give it a lot of thought. There is a popular school of thought which holds that political assassination is counterproductive - well, just go tell that to the guy who shot Yitzhak Rabin in the hope of derailing the middle-eastern peace process . . .

[Person you wish you could see right now]John Maither.

[Is next to you]A crappy xterm-with-pretentions, various pieces of paper and junk, a small speaker, a plastic slinky.

[Something you're looking forward to in the upcoming months]Moving away from Cambridge

[Something that you are deathly afraid of?]Death. Pain. The usual stuff.

[Do you like candles]Yes, but I couldn't eat a whole one.

[Do you like hot wax]Dreadful compilations. I think my sister had one, back in the early eighties, but if she's any sense she won't admit to it now.

[Do you like incense]I don't really have strong feelings on the subject.

[Do you like the taste of blood]I don't ever remember noticing that it had a particular taste.

[Do you believe in love]Yes.

[Do you believe in soul mates]No.

[Do you believe in love at first sight]Not as such, no.

[Do you believe in Heaven]I love the idea of all these ascetic saintly abstemious individuals getting to the pearly gates and finding that it really is that big gay disco . . . but no, unfortunately I can't persuade myself that it's so.

[Do you believe in forgiveness]Yeah. Understand always, forgive when possible, condemn when necessary.

[Do you believe in God]No.

[Who is your worst enemy?]Myself. In the more usual sense, I don't have any.

[If you could have any animal for a pet]A goth, please.

[What is the latest you've ever stayed up]When I had less reason to keep a regular schedule, I used to stay up for 36 hours sometimes. Not really much longer, though - I started to feel quite odd.

[Ever been to Belgium?]Yes. I went to Brussels last year with a couple of friends to see the BodyWorlds exhibition. It was the same day they mailed out to say it was coming to London next. And we'd got up at four to catch the early ferry, too.

[Can you eat with chopsticks]Yes.

[What's your favorite coin?]I have what purports to be a 5 pound coin at home. It's about the size of a dustbin lid.

[What are 5 cities you wouldn't mind relocating to?]Edinburgh. New York. London, maybe. Prague. I hear nice things about Frisco, too, but I've never been there.